Stay With Me
by Alexis4
Summary: REVISED AND UPDATED. COMPLETE After Vincent/Chaos send Omega back to the planet, Avalanche searches desperately for their friend. Nothing could prepare them for what they would find. Rate T for one or two swear words, ya know Cid. Yuffietine.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All rights belong to Square Enix._

_Author's Note: I rewrote the ending of Dirge of Cerberus. I always hated the Shelke/Vincent ending. First off, after all the damage Lucrecia did, no one with any part of her inside them needs anywhere near Vincent. And not that I really have any problems with Shelke but she has alll the emotional warmth of an ice cube. Yuffie and Vincent seemed close in the game, hell she even kinda got him to chuckle, and I've always felt it should have been her with him at the end. Vincent doesn't go to the cave. Instead, the group searches for him and finds him after Omega returns to the planet._

_I've revised this so even if you've already read this chapter I suggest rereading it. Let me know what you think._

* * *

Yuffie thought she was prepared. She was wrong. Nothing could have prepared her for this. "Oh, planet," she whispered hoarsely blinking back tears, "_Vinnie_."

Distantly she heard the horrified exclamations of Cloud and Tifa behind her and then Tifa's shaky voice contacting Reeve on her cell phone giving the WRO commissioner their location and a request for immediate medical assistance.

Forcing leaden feet to shuffle forward, Yuffie crouched next to the man to whom all of Gaia owed their lives. Vincent's clawless arm was stretched out beside his head bent at an unnatural angle. Blood pooled behind his head and ran from a large gash in his forehead. Blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. Carefully running a hand over Vincent's chest and stomach, Yuffie could feel that many if not all of his ribs were broken the jagged edges poking at the skin. The ninja was relieved at the small moan that the gunfighter gave at the touch because it mean that no matter how bad of shape he was in he was _alive._

Ignoring Cloud when he knelt beside her the White Rose resumed her evaluation of the ex-Turks condition. Yuffie continued to run her eyes and hand over her friend's battered form. Vincent's clawed hand had landed under him the sharp talons piercing the tender skin of his lower back.

Suppressing a whimper Yuffie lifted Vincent slightly and pulled the claw free from his flesh laying his arm gently at his side. Despite her attempts to be gentle, Vincent awoke with a sharp cry causing her to rear back in surprise.

Unable to stop himself, Vincent let out another scream at the excruciating pain that wracked every inch of his body. It didn't matter how fast he could heal. There was simply too much damage for his body to fix on its own. Gradually Vincent became aware of a frantic voice calling his name and gentle hands on his cheek and forehead.

Letting out another moan, Vincent forced his eyes open and blinked rapidly willing them to focus. It took several long moments but eventually Vincent was able to make out Yuffie's pretty features hovering above him.

"Yuffie . . .?" Vincent whispered before gritting his teeth to stifle his cry as another wave of pain swept through him. _She's crying . . . why?_

"Sshh, Vinnie," Yuffie soothed, smiling through her tears, "You'll be okay. Help is on the way. Just stay still, 'kay?"

Reflexively trying to move his arms Vincent let out a hoarse scream as he tried to move the one that was broken. Yuffie hands fluttered nervously longing to comfort but unsure of where to touch.

"Yuffie," Cloud said shifting closer to Vincent's broke arm, "He's too badly hurt for materia alone, but we can at least set his arm. I've got a Cure 3 that should take care of at least that much. I don't want to heal his ribs until a doctor takes a look and sees what's going on in there. I could do more harm than good if I did it now."

"What do you need me to do?" Yuffie asked anxiously.

"Just hold him still," Cloud ordered. Gently pulling Vincent's arm out into a position that would allow him to set the bone, the swordsman hesitated and glanced over at Vincent.

"H-has to be done," Vincent rasped.

Without delaying further Cloud pulled the bone back into place wincing sympathetically as Vincent grunted and jerked with the pain. Yuffie held Vincent down and whispered soothing nonsense as the swordsman worked.

"There," Cloud said softly, "Just hang on a minute, Vincent." Pulling his Cure 3 from a pocket, the blonde cast Cure on Vincent's arm sending as much healing energy into the appendage as he could. Satisfied at last, Cloud brought Vincent's healed arm to rest against his battered body.

Laying a hand on his friend's shoulder Cloud said, "Just hold on. Tifa's gone to meet Reeve and lead the medics here."

Painfully nodding his understanding Vincent's mind cleared enough for him to ask, "Omega?"

"He's gone back to the planet, Vinnie," Yuffie told him, her pride in the gunman's actions apparent in her voice, "You saved us."

Sagging in relief, Vincent's eyes closed again but opened a moment later at the feeling of someone removing his bandana.

Dabbing gently at the gash on Vincent's forehead and the blood that trickled down his chin Yuffie babbled, "You're a mess, Vince, but don't worry we're going to get you all fix up. You'll be as good as new in no time and back to your broody old self. And when you're better we're taking a vacation. You've earned it."

Vincent let Yuffie's voice wash over him, touched because he knew she did it to cover her worry. If the pain he was in wasn't an indication of how badly he was hurt the concern plastered on Yuffie's and Cloud's faces would have made it abundantly clear.

_All this time I thought I wanted to be alone . . . now I'm merely grateful to have friends like them. _Vincent looked intently at Yuffie's face and felt his heart twist as a single tear fell from her brown eyes and slid down the soft skin of her cheek. _She's afraid for me,_ Vincent realized. The ninja's hands were infinitely gentle as she fussed over him trying to make him as comfortable as possible.

"Yuffie," Vincent called softly.

Blinking, the ninja looked down at the injured man. "What is it?"

"Thank you."

Opening her mouth to reply, Yuffie stopped when Cloud stood abruptly.

"They're coming."

Vincent tried to look but ended up coughing instead. He only made things worse when he reflexively tried to curl up as his ribs protested the disturbance. He was dimly aware of small hands easing him onto his back once more.

Gripping Vincent's hand, Yuffie yelled, "Over here! Hurry up already!" Tears flowed anew at the sight of the WRO squad picking their way through the Midgar debris. Tifa and Reeve lead the part but were followed closely by Barret, Cid, Cait Sith, and Shelke.

"Shit!" Cid cursed laying eyes on the bloodied man before him.

Eyes wide, Reeve motioned his squad forward. "For planet's sake, help him!"

Gently, Cloud grasped the ninja's shoulders in order to gently move Yuffie out of the medic's way but Vincent wouldn't let go of her hand. Red eyes pleaded.

"Stay . . . w-with me?" Vincent didn't think he could bear the pain if she let go of his hand. And he knew he wouldn't be able to bear the attention of the medics without it. Hojo had made sure that Vincent would never really trust doctors ever again.

The girl glanced up at the medics. "We should be able to work around you for now," the woman in charged answered, sweeping her blonde hair back over her shoulder, "Just keep him calm."

Nodding, Yuffie smiled down at Vincent. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

Vincent's grip on Yuffie's hand was painful as the medics poked and prodded and went about attaching IVs in preparation for moving him to a medical facility but Yuffie didn't complain.

"It . . . hurts," Vincent whispered.

That small admission brought fresh tears to Tifa and Yuffie's eyes and even the eyes of the men were suspiciously bright. Unable to process the new emotions Shelke shifted her gaze to the ground. Vincent never complained . . . _ever._ If he was admitting to the pain then it must be terrible.

"Okay, Mr. Valentine," the head medic said, "We're going to put you on a gurney now."

A strangled scream left Vincent's lips even though the medics were as gentle as possible. Once he was settled, the exhausted man could do little more than gasp for breath, the effort extremely painful because of his injured ribs.

"Let's get a morphine drip started here!" the woman barked, "Now, let's get him to the chopper without shaking him too much. Move!"

Yuffie walked besides the gurney her hand still gripped tightly in Vincent's. Despite the painkiller he was still unable to slip into the welcoming blackness that hovered at the edges of his vision. Each bump no matter how slight was an agony.

"We're all here, Vinnie," Yuffie reminded him, "You'll be alright. We're going to take care of you, you'll see."

"I-I know you will, Yuffie," Vincent whispered, teeth gritted against the pain.

Smiling sadly, Tifa reached for Cloud's hand. Pulling her closer, Cloud placed an arm around her shoulders. "He'll be okay, Tifa," the ex-SOLDIER assured her.

"I know," Tifa whispered, "I just wish he hadn't had to do this alone."

"He's not alone anymore." Though Cloud spoke in his usual soft voice there was a resolve in his voice that made it clear his words were a vow.

Surrounded by his friends, Vincent was loaded onto the chopper. The head medic told Cid where Vincent would be taken.

"You just take it easy, Vince," the pilot said, "We'll follow in the _Shera. _Yuffie is going to go with you. Just hang in there and we'll see you soon." Cid punctuated his words by squeezing Vincent's should briefly before herding the others away so the chopper could take off. The sooner Vincent reached the medical facility the better.

As the chopper took off, with Yuffie by his side and still tightly gripping his hand, Vincent finally allowed the darkness to sweep him into its comforting embrace.

* * *

Long, dark lashes fluttered over high cheekbones. Vincent slowly became aware of a distant beeping noise as well as hushed whispers. His mind was clouded and his body ached but he forced his eyes open. It took several long moments for Vincent to realize that he was alive.

"Hey there. About time you woke up."

Turning his head towards the sound of Cloud's quiet voice, the gunman found him standing next to a chair by his bed. Tifa and the others hovered behind him, joyous smiles lighting their faces now that they knew their friend would be all right. In the chair curled up almost into a ball, and still gripping his hand, was Yuffie.

"She hasn't left your side, you know," Tifa informed him, "You've been asleep for three days, Vincent."

"Scared the hell out of all of us, Vince," Cid's gruff voice called out.

"I'm s-sorry," Vincent whispered his voice hoarse from lack of use. Despite the fact that he answered the others his eyes never left the sleeping princess.

"This is the first time Yuffie has slept," Reeve added.

"W-where are we?"

"At our temporary base of operations," the WRO commissioner replied, "You're going to be sore for a while but you're going to be fine, Vincent. We'll give you to the full story once you're feeling better."

Vincent wanted to thank his friends for coming for him and for worrying about him but his eyelids were becoming heavy as his body slowly dragged him back under for some much needed rest. Yet, he couldn't take his eyes off the small girl who had kept constant vigil over him. _She never left me,_ he thought in wonder.

"We'll let you get some sleep," Tifa said, "We'll be back to see you later."

"Wait," Vincent said, painfully shifting his body over in the bed. Red eyes glanced from the sleeping girl to Cloud and back again. _Yuffie cannot be comfortable in such a position. After three days she must need to rest as much as I. It's the least I can do to thank her._

Understanding what Vincent wanted, Cloud gently lifted Yuffie and settled her next to Vincent on the bed. Immediately, Yuffie curled up against Vincent one small hand resting on his chest.

Smiling, the others filed out of the room and Vincent closed his eyes letting Yuffie's warmth lull him back to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: Well here is the promised epilogue. It's complete and utter fluff but that's what I was going for. Let me know if you like it. Don't forget to review! (And thanks to those who have already reviewed!)_

Upon waking, the first thing Yuffie pondered was why she was so comfortable. She'd spent three long days sitting in the hard chair by Vincent's bed and her butt had become quite sore. The ninja didn't think the chair would be any better to sleep in. Next, she wondered why she was so warm. This wasn't the type of warmth that came from a blanket. This was much better and there was a comfort inherent in the sensation. Curiosity had Yuffie opening her eyes to observe her surroundings.

It only took about two seconds for the princess to realize that she was so comfortable because she slept in a bed. It took almost three more seconds for Yuffie to realize that the warmth was coming from another body. One second after that she realized that she was nestled in bed next to a sleeping Vincent.

Blushing, Yuffie jerked into a sitting position, coloring further when she became aware that she had been sleeping with her head pillowed on Vincent's shoulder. _How did I get here?_

The ninja was pleased to see that some hints of color had returned to Vincent's pale features. Also, the pinched looked had eased from his face and it now appeared that Vincent slept peacefully in a healing sleep.

"You're going to be okay, Vinnie," Yuffie murmured quietly. The girl attempted to get out of the bed but froze when Vincent's crimson eyes fluttered open.

The gunman looked blearily around the room for a moment before finding the disturbance that had awoken him. "Yuffie."

"Vinnie you're awake!" Yuffie cried joyously. In her ecstatic relief Yuffie forgot her embarrassment and nearly pounced on him wrapping him in as much of a hug as she could accomplish while Vincent was laying down.

Vincent winced slightly at her exuberance as his body was still sore but couldn't repress the small, affectionate smile that tugged at the corners of his lips. Vincent even allowed himself to slip his human arm around her shoulders to return the hug as best he could. After all she'd done for him, and how much worry he'd obviously caused her, he really couldn't refuse the girl a mere hug. He would not admit, not even to himself, how much he enjoyed that hug.

Eventually, Yuffie seemed to remember where she was and what she was doing. Blushing furiously, the girl pulled back, and sat up. "Sorry about that," she said sheepishly.

"There is no need to be sorry," Vincent told her. Tentatively easing himself into a sitting position Vincent blushed slightly himself when Yuffie quickly assisted him and propped the pillows up so he could rest comfortably against them.

Deciding to remain on the bed, Yuffie shifted into a cross legged position a broad smile lighting up her pretty face. "You look a lot better, Vince. You were in really bad shape there."

"Yes," Vincent acknowledged remembering the pain he had experienced after his confrontation with Omega. "I am still weak but I will recover." Shyly, Vincent glanced over at the ninja, "Tifa told me that you haven't left my side the past three days."

Yuffie blushed again but answered, "Well, duh, Vinnie, I promised you that I wouldn't leave you."

"I should never have asked such a thing from you," Vincent replied, "It is too much."

"Vincent," Yuffie snapped, "Don't you dare feel bad because I kept a promise that I _wanted_ to make. We're friends. I said I wouldn't leave you so I didn't. _My _choice. End of story. And if you start to get all broody, Leviathan help me, as soon as you're healed I'll kick your ass!"

"Yes, Yuffie," Vincent said with mock submissiveness.

Yuffie giggled at this rare proof that Vincent Valentine did in fact have a sense of humor.

"How did I get in bed with you, Vinnie?" Yuffie asked, blushing again.

Vincent too, seemed to turn the slightest bit red, "Well, you were exhausted . . . and that chair couldn't have been comfortable. After all you've done for me it was the least I could do."

Yuffie's smile was blinding. "Aw, Vinnie, that's sweet!"

Vincent was saved from further embarrassment by the arrival of a nurse with a tray of food. The gunslinger dutifully ate all of it knowing he needed it to regain his strength. Of course, he doubted he had much of a choice. Yuffie watched him intently and would have probably have attempted to force feed him if necessary.

Soon after Vincent ate, Cloud, Tifa, Cid, and Barrett returned along with Marlene and Denzel. Marlene fussed a great deal over him and even Denzel seemed relieved at seeing first hand that Vincent would be well.

"Where's Reeve?" Yuffie asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, legs swinging.

"He had some WRO business to take care of," Tifa explained, "Reeve said he'd be by tomorrow for sure."

By this time, Vincent was becoming tired and Cloud began to herd the others out of the room. When Yuffie hesitated, Vincent gave her a stern look.

"You need your rest too, Yuffie," he scolded, "I would not wish you to become ill because you did not take care of yourself. I will be fine."

Yuffie smiled and hopped off the bed, "Only if you're sure."

"I'm sure," Vincent assured her, "Go home and get some rest."

"Okay," Yuffie agreed, "But I'll be back first thing in the morning!"

Yuffie was true to her word. The first thing Vincent saw when he opened his eyes was Yuffie's smiling face.

It was another week before Vincent was released from the hospital. Though his friends visited regularly, Yuffie was there every single day. Vincent found his gaze on her often and feelings he'd thought dead began to stir in his heart. Yuffie's energetic light kept the shadow's of his past at bay. This was only made more complete by the knowledge that Chaos had returned to the planet and would plague him no longer.

On the day that Vincent was released, Yuffie came to get him. The two had been invited to stay with Cloud and Tifa until Vincent was well enough to be on his own again though Tifa had hinted that Vincent was quite welcome for a prolonged stay. Cloud had said that Marlene was thrilled that "Uncle Vincent" was going to be staying with them.

Despite Vincent's protests, Yuffie helped him carry his meager belongings up to his room. "We don't want you overdoing it, Vinnie," she chirped.

Setting his bag down on the floor, Yuffie turned to go. "I guess I'll let you get settled in."

Gathering his courage Vincent said, "Wait."

Turning back, Yuffie tilted her head curiously, "What is it, Vince?"

"Yuffie . . . I . . ." Unable to find the words, Vincent took drastic measures. Pulling the slender ninja into his arms, Vincent lowered his lips onto hers. Yuffie jerked in surprise and thinking his advances were unwelcome Vincent was about to pull back when Yuffie wrapped her arm around his neck and returned his kiss.

When the kiss broke, they stayed in each other's arms, both were a little breathless.

"Vincent?" Yuffie questioned.

"Stay with me," Vincent said with a soft smile.

Laughing joyfully, Yuffie pressed another quick kiss to the guman's lips. "I'm promise, Vinnie. I'll never leave you."


End file.
